Photographer Captures Wonder of Christmas in Wyoming

Nov 22 2017 07:00 PM EST

weather.com

Ever experience a white Christmas...surrounded by bison?

That's what Kaely Carmean was in for when she visited Jackson Hole, Wyo. last December. The Tulsa, Okla. photographer wanted to spend the holidays at the stunning western ski and wildlife destination not just to take photos, but because it's a family tradition.

"I had been several times when I was younger," she said. "It's my favorite town in the U.S. -- small, cozy and surrounded by gorgeous mountains. The Tetons are amazing, and the snow is just really beautiful in the winter."

Carmean and her boyfriend planned to shoot on the last day of their trip, but things got complicated when the region was hit with blizzard conditions.

"The night before we were like, 'the next day we're gonna wake up and take pictures all day," Carmean said. "The next day was white-out blizzard conditions. But we went out anyway."

The couple drove to Gros Ventre, one of the two mountain ranges (the other being the Tetons) that envelopes Jackson Hole. That's when she noticed the herd of bison approaching on a nearby hill.

"We could tell they were coming so we stopped and watched them cross the road," Carmean said. "I was stunned at how it looked. The blizzard and everything, you cant see anything but the bison."

The resulting photo, "Bison March," is, to take Carmean's words, stunning. As the indelibly American mammals disappear into the white abyss, we're struck with a sense of wonder and adventure. And what's most interesting about the photo is that the bison are in a single file line. This strange phenomenon only adds to the photo, giving it perspective and a dash of magic.

"Right before that, they [the bison] were everywhere; so haphazard, no organization. So maybe because the snow is so deep it might be easier to walk in a path."

Nature and its inhabitants never cease to amaze, and there may be no greater place to experience that than Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

"It's just a beautiful town to go visit," Carmean said. "There's hiking, skiing -- as a photographer it's like heaven."

About the Series

Inspiration starts with one extraordinary photo. Every month, we'll showcase just that to ignite your sense of wonder while providing you with a destination guide and other relevant stories to plan your next adventure. Get ready. Let's go places.